Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Go Through Final Practice Of Season
December 30, 2007 | Cowboy Football
TEMPE, Ariz. (OSU Athletics Following Saturday's practice, OSU hosted Youth Gridiron Day, where approximately 50 children from the Tempe community joined the Cowboys for lunch. The players signed autographs and posed for pictures with the children. Several Cowboys, namely wide receivers Adarius Bowman and Dez Bryant, also chatted with former NFL star Sterling Sharpe, who is part of the NFL Network's broadcast team for the Insight Bowl. Coach Mike Gundy's Cowboys will battle Indiana in Monday's Insight Bowl at 4 p.m. at Sun Devil Stadium, and Gundy is pleased with how his team has prepared for the Hoosiers while in Arizona. “We've had a good week of practice,” Gundy said. “There's a lot of enthusiasm, and the players enjoy each other. The camaraderie and fellowship — it was enjoyable to watch them spend time together this week. “They know this is the last time this group will be together and they enjoy being around each other so it was a lot of fun.” Gundy added that the Cowboys have gone through much the same routine as they did in preparing for last year's Independence Bowl, in which OSU defeated Alabama. “We've prepared the same way — our practices, our tempo, our running,” Gundy said. “We felt comfortable with last year so our preparation has stayed very similar. “There's a lot of ways to prepare for a bowl and different philosophies. We feel like we practice the same way we do in the regular season, they just have more free time during the day. “As we get closer to the game, which would be (Sat.) and (Sun.), we ask them to get more focused.” The following are some of Gundy's other thoughts following Saturday's practice: On Indiana “We've made our players aware of how excited Indiana is to be in this game, and we're gonna have to go out and play hard in order to have a chance to win.” On the importance of winning the Insight Bowl On this year's team compared to last year's On the status of wide receiver Adarius Bowman, who missed the final two games of the season due to injury
“Their quarterback is a very good player who's very elusive, and they've got a big receiver. They do a good job on offense of spreading you out, trying to get you in space and making you miss. Defensively, they're very sound and haven't taken a lot of chances. They do a nice job.
“Anytime you play a game, you're gonna prepare the best you can and try to put your team in a position to win, and that's what we've done. Our players understand what we're trying to accomplish, and they'll go out and play hard.”
“We're a better football team, and we're further along in our football program than we were last year.”
“Adarius has practiced well, and I would consider him to be full speed. We'll see how he holds up with the fatigue factor, but I think he'll play well and have an opportunity to make some plays.”
